Wayne County, North Carolina

2024 results by precinct

28 precincts · 54,762 votes cast

Trump · R+16

Harris +50

Trump +50

Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.

38 presidential elections

Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	−16.4%	22,618	31,580	54,762
2020	R	−11.7%	24,215	30,709	55,537
2016	R	−11.4%	21,770	27,540	50,689
2012	R	−8.4%	23,314	27,641	51,352
2008	R	−8.6%	22,671	26,952	49,882
2004	R	−24.5%	15,076	24,883	40,046
2000	D	+22.9%	20,758	13,005	33,884
1996	R	−17.0%	11,580	16,588	29,390
1992	R	−14.9%	10,307	14,397	27,532
1988	R	−25.2%	9,135	15,292	24,474
1984	R	−28.4%	10,011	17,961	28,008
1980	R	−14.3%	9,586	12,860	22,836
1976	R	−1.8%	9,265	9,607	18,993
1972	R	−46.0%	5,234	14,352	19,842
1968	R	−1.7%	5,338	5,678	19,725
1964	D	+12.9%	9,791	7,555	17,346
1960	D	+17.9%	7,856	5,474	13,330
1956	D	+23.1%	6,756	4,220	10,976
1952	D	+21.9%	7,281	4,662	11,943
1948	D	+53.3%	6,111	1,658	8,348
1944	D	+53.0%	6,228	1,914	8,142
1940	D	+62.8%	7,222	1,649	8,871
1936	D	+60.4%	7,087	1,751	8,838
1932	D	+58.8%	6,365	1,631	8,056
1928	R	−7.7%	3,720	4,340	8,060
1924	D	+41.5%	3,366	1,379	4,787
1920	D	+25.9%	4,794	2,822	7,616
1916	D	+28.9%	2,625	1,446	4,076
1912	D	+62.7%	2,293	95	3,503
1908	D	+18.9%	2,207	1,504	3,722
1904	D	+27.6%	2,060	1,162	3,256
1900	D	+22.3%	3,104	1,965	5,106
1896	D	+17.6%	3,215	2,248	5,490
1892	D	+12.8%	2,261	1,645	4,795
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.

American

100.0%

African American

23.8%

Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.

American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 37.3 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.6%

85+

0.9%

2.1%

75–84

3.1%

4.8%

65–74

5.6%

6.2%

55–64

6.4%

5.6%

45–54

6.0%

5.9%

35–44

5.8%

7.2%

25–34

6.5%

5.3%

18–24

4.4%

8.8%

5–17

8.5%

3.3%

3.1%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Median household income

2024 inflation-adjusted dollars

$59,733

Wayne County ranks near the middle of US counties.

Wayne County$59,733

North Carolina$72,388

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

17.3%

Children face moderate poverty.

Children under 1818.0%

Working age (18–64)100.0%

Seniors (65+)18.0%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

0.0%

speak English only

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Other Christian

16.7%

Baptist

10.6%

Methodist

7.3%

Catholic & Orthodox

7.0%

Pentecostal & Holiness

3.5%

Mainline Protestant

2.3%

Non-Christian

1.1%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 51.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Wayne County's electorate has shifted steadily rightward over the past two decades, with the 2024 presidential margin reaching R+16.4. Goldsboro's military presence at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base adds a distinct demographic layer to the county's rural, agriculture-rooted base.

The shift began with civil rights. 2004 marked the realignment in Wayne County, by a twenty-four points margin. The Republican margin reached its widest at forty-six points in 1972. The 2024 margin was sixteen points.

The political shift has tracked, in Wayne County, the political shift of the South more broadly. A 51% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $59,733, and a 17% poverty rate describe the demographic context. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Alamance County and Gaston County.

Most similar counties

Wayne County voted Democratic for a century. The shift began with civil rights.